Citrus Scented Cheese Babka ~ #TwelveLoaves

March 18, 2013 By 17 Comments

Easter is right around the corner. I can’t believe it! Next thing you know it will be June and Sunny.

The mention of June conjures up thoughts of flip-flops, pink sunsets, and sandy beaches. I can’t wait for flip-flop weather. I know some people like to wear flip-flops all year long, but I’m not that gal. My toes would freeze right off.

Before I even think about wearing flip-flops, I have to do something about my tootsies. I hate to admit it, but they may need a hack saw or power sander taken to them. I feel bad for the poor soul that has to tend to my feet. Fact– I haven’t had a pedicure since my foot injury last October. Eek! It took forever for the poor injured toe to heal, and I’ve been hesitant to let anyone near the thing. So, before I go showing off my feet, a pedicure is a must.

This month Lora challenged the #TwelveLoaves group to make a type of Easter/Passover bread. I’ve never actually made Easter bread before, so I was excited for the adventure. I did a little research and came up with cheese babka. Babka is a sweet yeast cake that varies depending on the origin of the bread. The legend suggests that the sweet bread was accidently invented by an exiled Polish King. I decided to create the Polish version of cheese babka for this month’s Easter/Passover themed #TwelveLoaves.

I thoroughly enjoyed making this bread. The aroma of the dough was utterly intoxicating as I was slowly stiring the mixture with my wooden spoon. Wafts of vanilla and sweet sugar billowed through the air as I was kneading the rich, buttery dough. As I was kneading the dough, I was thinking, ”If the dough smells this good, it has to taste amazing!”

Cheese Babka | www.themessybakerblog.com-6674

It does. This bread tastes amazing! It’s mildly sweet and slightly dense, stuffed with a creamy lemon scented cheese mixture. I could’ve eaten the entire loaf by myself.

Cheese Babka | www.themessybakerblog.com-6673

I could live off of bread. Seriously, I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and not complain once.

Cheese Babka | www.themessybakerblog.com-6683

Cheese Babka | www.themessybakerblog.com-6668

I spiked the cream cheese filling with homemade citrus marmalade to brighten it up a bit for Easter. One bite of this bread, and you’ll be hooked.

Cheese Babka | www.themessybakerblog.com-6685

Enjoy!

CheeseBabkaCollage

We would love to have you join our #TwelveLoaves group. It’s easy!

#TwelveLoaves March: Holiday Bread. Bake a bread, yeast or quick bread, loaf or individual. This #TwelveLoaves is all about the incredible holiday breads featured in March. Do you have a favorite Easter or St. Patrick’s Day Bread? We would love to see it. Let’s get baking!

1. When you post your Twelve Loaves bread on your blog, make sure that you mention the Twelve Loaves challenge in your blog post; this helps us to get more members as well as share everyone’s posts. Please make sure that your Bread is inspired by the theme!
2. Please link your post to the linky tool at the bottom of my blog. It must be a bread baked to the Twelve Loaves theme.
3. Have your Twelve Loaves bread that you baked this March, 2013 posted on your blog by March 31, 2013.

5.0 from 1 reviews

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Citrus Scented Cheese Babka
Author: 
Recipe type: Bread
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 8-10
 

Adapted from allrecipes
Ingredients
Dough
  • 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
  • 1 tsp. white sugar
  • ¼ cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
  • ½ cup butter, melted
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup lukewarm milk
  • 3 eggs
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
Filling
  • 8 oz. cream cheese, at room-temperature
  • 1 tbs. sour cream
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbs. orange or citrus marmalade
  • 2 tbs. unsalted butter, melted

Instructions
  1. Sprinkle the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar over the warm water; stir to dissolve. Let stand for 10 minutes until the mixture becomes foamy.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together butter, ¼ cup sugar, salt, vanilla extract, milk, and eggs. Stir in 1 cup of flour.
  3. Add the yeast mixture and stir for 1 minute. Gradually stir in the remaining flour to form a soft dough (the mixture will be a little sticky at this point).
  4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding small amounts of flour to prevent sticking. Shape the dough into a round and place it in a large greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with a dry towel and place the bowl in a warm place. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1½ hours.
  5. In a medium-sized bowl, beat together cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in egg until incorporated. Beat in vanilla extract and marmalade until smooth. Set aside.
  6. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.
  7. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 10-inch by 12-inch rectangle. Using a pastry brush, brush the dough with melted butter. Spread the cheese filling evenly over the dough. Roll the dough up like a jelly roll, starting from the long end, roll the dough towards you. Pinch the ends closed. Pull the long edge of the dough up and pinch to seal. Carefully lift the rolled dough into the prepared bundt pan. Cover with a dry towel and let rise for 1 hour.
  8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  9. Bake the babka until deep golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes; invert the babka onto a wire rack and remove the pan. Allow the babka to cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

 

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Nutella & Toasted Pecan Sweet Rolls ~ #TwelveLoaves

February 27, 2013 By 29 Comments

I’m going to apologize in advance. Why? Oh, you’ll see. Just keep reading.

Have you ever been enamored by, obsessed with, or head-over-heels in love with a dessert before? Enter these sweet rolls. Everything else became a blur as I was shoveling forkful after forkful of sweet dough into my mouth. Ladies & Gentlemen, meet my new obsession.

Nutella & Toasted Pecan Sweet Rolls | www.themessybakerblog.com-6509

I’ve been in love with a lot of desserts in my lifetime, but nothing surpasses the decadence of these nutella and toasted pecan sweet rolls. The dough gets slathered with a generous helping of chocolatey Nutella, then drizzled with melted butter and sprinkled with toasted pecans before getting rolled up and baked to golden brown perfection.

Be still my beating heart!

Fear of devouring the entire pan myself led me to dealing out sweet rolls at a healthy snacking party. Was I ashamed? A little. What choice did I have? It was either give them away or eat the entire pan myself.

Nutella & Toasted Pecan Sweet Rolls | www.themessybakerblog.com-6511

I wasn’t actually planning on making sweet rolls. They were more of a happy accident… A really delicious happy accident. Maybe even life changing. I was originally going to make my grandmother’s recipe for English muffin bread for #twelveloaves when a diligent effort to locate the recipe failed. Let’s just say I’m thankful I keep a large stock of Nutella on hand at all times.

Nutella & Toasted Pecan Sweet Rolls | www.themessybakerblog.com-6534

One bite, and that’s it. You’re. In. Love! Just give yourself over to the sweet roll. You can’t fight it; why try?

Nutella & Toasted Pecan Sweet Rolls | www.themessybakerblog.com-6528

The sweet mocha glaze gets drizzled on while the rolls are still warm. Oozing its way through the doughy fissures, the glaze creates a caramelized crunch on its journey to the underbelly of the rolls, ensuring each roll is perfectly coated with the gooey glaze and each bite is just as sticky and delicious as the one before it.

Nutella & Toasted Pecan Sweet Rolls | www.themessybakerblog.com-6520

Your chin and fingers are coated with mocha glaze, but you don’t care, because licking your fingers at the end just prolongs the sweet moment of pure bliss.

Nutella & Toasted Pecan Sweet Rolls | www.themessybakerblog.com-6530

Enjoy one. Enjoy two. Heck, enjoy the entire pan. Or, you know, share the sweet roll love. I’ll leave it up to you to decide.

5.0 from 2 reviews

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Nutella & Toasted Pecan Sweet Rolls
Author: 
Recipe type: Sweet Rolls
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 18
 

Sweet roll dough adapted from The Pioneer Woman
Ingredients
Sweet Roll Dough:
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup canola oil
  • 1 pkg. yeast
  • 4½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. baking powder
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
Nutella Filling:
  • 1 cup Nutella, slightly melted (see note)
  • 4 tbs. unsalted butter, melted
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
Mocha Icing:
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 tbs. strongly brewed coffee
  • 1 tbs. half & half
  • ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions
  1. In a large pot over medium-low heat, whisk together milk, sugar, and oil. Using a candy thermometer, heat the milk to 120 degrees F. Sprinkle the yeast over the top of the warm milk mixture. Stir in 3½ cups of flour. Take off the heat. Cover the pot with a towel and allow to rest, undisturbed, for 1 hour.
  2. Add the remaining 1 cup of flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda to the mixture. Stir until combined. Place the lid on the pot and refrigerate until the mixture is completely cool (the dough is easier to handle if it is refrigerated).
  3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a large baking dish, or two pie plates or round cake pans.
  4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 24 inches long and 10 inches wide. Drizzle the melted nutella onto the dough. Spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Drizzle the nutella with the melted butter. Sprinkle with brown sugar and toasted pecans.
  5. Starting at the side furthest from you, roll the dough toward you, until it resembles a log. Pinch to seal. Turn the dough over so the seal faces the work surface. Slice into 2-inch thick rolls and place in the baking dish cut side down.
  6. Cover the baking dish with a towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown in color.
Mocha Icing:
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and salt. Whisk in coffee, half & half, and vanilla extract until smooth.
  2. Remove the rolls from the oven. Allow the rolls to cool for 5 minutes before drizzling on the icing. Serve warm.
  3. Note: Heat the Nutella for 30 seconds in the microwave to create a spreadable consistency.

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Grandmom’s Rolls

January 1, 2013 By 33 Comments

Happy New Year!!! Are you using the day off to sleep in and nurse a hangover? I had a few of these Skinny Champagne Cosmos  last night (they’re amazing), recipe courtesy of Kristina from Whipped, but I’m feeling surprisingly well.

Today I’m participating in #TwelveLoaves. What is #TwelveLoaves? It’s a concept created by Lora from Cake Duchess to inspire people to get in their kitchens and bake some homemade bread. You know, get down and dirty with some flour and sticky dough. Each month Lora hosts a different bread baking project. This month we’re starting the new year with a clean slate; a loaf of bread that celebrates simplicity.

Today I bring you a very special recipe that was handed down to me by my Grandmom. I call the recipe Grandmom’s Dinner Rolls. It’s a simple white roll with a perfectly crusty exterior and a melt-in-your-mouth, fluffy interior. I grew up watching her make these rolls and was lucky enough to receive a lesson in roll making from her last year. This recipe is so simple that I used it as my very first attempt at creating homemade bread.

I know the concept of making homemade bread is a bit ominous for some; however, once you get the basics down, you’ll be a bread-making machine. This recipe is a great starter recipe. If you’re an amateur or fear yeast and dough, start with this recipe. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Shannon from A Periodic Table. Shannon, like some of you, feared working with yeast. You don’t know Shannon? Shame! The girl can whip up Momofuko Milk bar treats in her sleep. I emailed Shannon my Grandmom’s bread recipe and she successfully made them for Thanksgiving. Easy as pie!

The key to making these rolls is not over heating the milk. If the milk is too hot, it’s going kill the yeast. Dead yeast equals dense, flat rolls, and we don’t want that.

You don’t need a fancy thermometer when gauging the temperature; your finger will work just fine. You’ll know the milk is hot enough when you stick your finger in it and your reflexes kick in. If you can’t keep your finger in the milk because it hurts to the touch, that’s when you know it’s hot enough. DO NOT boil the milk. I don’t mean to yell, but I don’t want you to make that mistake. My dad does it all the time and he wonders why his rolls are like hockey pucks; he’s killing the yeast.

The bread will need to rise two times. It will rise after kneading it and again after rolling the dough into balls.

The best part about making bread is playing with the dough. I love the feel of the sticky, warm dough between my fingers. Then there’s the malted smell that rises to your nose every time you fold the dough into itself. Mmm!

Those little green specs you see is chopped rosemary. I made a melted garlic butter sauce and added crushed rosemary to give it a boost of flavor. After brushing on the butter sauce, I sprinkled the rolls with a little sea salt for extra flavor.

Smear with a generous helping of salted butter and chow down. These rolls will quickly become a staple in your recipe box. Enjoy!

Here’s what the other #TwelveLoaves participants are baking:

Alabama Light Bread by Dorothy | Shockingly Delicious
Basic White Bread by Renee | Magnolia Days
Classic Oatmeal Bread by Liz | That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Grandmom’s Dinner Rolls by Jennie from The Messy Baker Blog
Italian Potato Bread by Rosella | Ma Che Ti Sei Mangiato
Molasses Wheat Quick Bread by Deb | Knitstamatic
Pandoro by Paula | Vintage Kitchen
Rosemary Olive Oil Bread by Alice | Hip Foodie Mom
Whole Wheat Pita Bread by Holly | A Baker’s House
Whole Wheat Sea Salt Bagel by Lora | Cake Duchess
Orange, Date & Nut Loaf by Kate | Diethood 
 
#TwelveLoaves January: Clean Slate. Bake a bread, yeast or quick bread, loaf or individual. January #TwelveLoaves is all about a clean slate. After the holiday indulgences, we are starting the year with simplicity. Have fun baking with whole grains and other flours. Share with us your favorite basic bread recipes. Let’s get baking!
 
Just follow the rules, it’s as easy as pie:
  1. When you post your Twelve Loaves bread on your blog, make sure that you mention the Twelve Loaves challenge in your blog post; this helps us to get more members as well as share everyone’s posts. Please make sure that your Bread is inspired by the theme!
  2. Please link your post to the linky tool at the bottom of my blog. It must be a bread baked to the Twelve Loaves theme.
  3. Have your Twelve Loaves bread that you baked this January, 2013 posted on your blog by January 31, 2013.
Would you like to bake along with us? The #TwelveLoaves bread baking project was created by Lora at Cake Duchess; a monthly baking adventure created for the love of bread. Drop Lora a line to join in on this monthly bread baking fun! Follow@TwelveLoaves on Twitter See what’s freshly baked for #TwelveLoaves on our growing Pinterest board.
 
4.8 from 5 reviews

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Grandmom’s Dinner Rolls
Author: 
Recipe type: Bread
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

 

Ingredients
  • 1 pkg. active dry yeast
  • ¾ cup hot milk (do not boil)
  • ¾ cup hot tap water
  • 1½ tbs. sugar
  • ¾ tsp. kosher salt
  • 1½ tbs. shortening
  • 3½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
  • Herb Butter:
  • 4 tbs. unsalted butter
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 tbs. chopped rosemary

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a cast iron pan or baking dish.
  2. Place flour in a large bowl. Add the yeast and mix to combine. Set aside.
  3. Heat milk in a small saucepan until hot to touch (do not boil). Take off heat and add shortening, sugar, and salt. Stir until shortening melts into the milk mixture (a few lumps are okay). Stir in hot water to combine.
  4. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in milk; mix to combine with a spatula. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead for 6 minutes, gradually adding flour until the dough is no longer sticky.
  5. Place dough in a large, greased bowl, turning once to grease both sides. Place bowl in a warm place and cover with a clean dish towel. Let rise for 90 minutes.
  6. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Pull off 3-inch sized pieces of dough and place in a greased cast iron pan about a ½-inch apart. Place pan in a warm spot and cover with a clean dish towel. Let rise for 1 hour before baking.
  7. Herb Butter: While the dough is rising for the second time, melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add crushed garlic and chopped rosemary. Simmer for 2 minutes to let the flavors marry.
  8. Using a pastry brush, brush dough with the herb butter. Sprinkle with sea salt.
  9. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Serve warm with a generous helping of butter.

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